When Tables Have Been Turned

Lance Corporal Daniel Smith has officially left the Philippines after almost 3 years of being jailed because of rape. He has now flown to his home country but I'm sure he will not forget what had happened to him. As for Nicole, she is now also in the U.S. and had moved on but is now still haunted for what she did-she announced that she isn't really sure if what had happened was rape. Because of this, the accused became the victim and the victim is now the target of the anger of the Filipino people. The tables have been turned.

I could not blame the court of letting Lance Corporal Daniel Smith because what had happened is the result of Nicole's actions. Some would say that Nicole was bribed; some would say that she realized what really happened was just a plain "job", etc... Honestly, I don't know what happened to Nicole that changed her mind but the Filipinos are now angry at her and, also, I could not blame them.

In this case, it's safe to say that Nicole's statements are not the only factor for Smith's freedom. I want to believe that the court has intelligently studied the case so that the issue of Smith being a victim of injustice here in the Philippines will be erased especially in the mind of the foreigners. This is now a question of dignity.

I really hope that Smith has learned his lessons and would respect women and I hope he finally understood the meaning of "reputation". If there are problems regarding VFA (Visiting Forces Agreement), it should be properly discussed because there's a lot of pros and cons about it. By this way, we can prevent what had happened. And for Nicole, I really wish that she had happened, she should be ready for the consequences of her actions, this is a serious matter knowing that after all she has won the case and the flipping all the cards.

But as what I believed before, poverty is the main factor of the Subic rape case. As long as there is poverty, prostitution would be present. So, politicians please do your jobs instead of arguing because of nonsense matters.